1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a system and method for optimally determining which data connectivity pipe an application will use and, more particularly, to a system and method for optimally determining which data connectivity pipe an application wirelessly running on a vehicle will use, where the data pipes include cellular, user smart phone using in-cabin WiFi, and WiFi/DSRC.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As vehicles become more technologically advanced, they become more digitally sophisticated and will be able to download, store and operate many digital applications that perform various functions, such as entertainment functions, information functions, vehicle diagnostic functions, etc. For example, vehicle applications may provide various internet connections, software reflashing, video and music downloading, video streaming, telematic system diagnostics, dealership service applications, interactive maps, etc. Those applications will be able to wirelessly interact through data connectivity with many and various data sources and other devices both inside and outside the vehicle.
For modern vehicles going forward, multiple data connectivity pipes will likely exist where applications stored on the vehicle can wirelessly interact through data transfer, where those data pipes are cellular, such as OnStar™, smart phone using in-cabin WiFi, and an external WiFi/DSRC (dedicated short range communications). For cellular, bandwidth capabilities are typically low, for example, about 300 kbps, the latency to get service is typically low, the power requirement is unlimited and the cost is typically high, where the power is the energy consumed by the particular data pipe to provide the data transfer, the cost is the price to a user that uses the particular data pipe, latency is the time between when the application requests particular data and when the application actually gets that data, and bandwidth is the rate the data is transferred. A high latency or high delay tolerance may be up to 10 minutes and a low latency or low delay tolerance may be less than 5 seconds. For smart phone, the bandwidth required is typically in the medium range, for example, 1-2 Mbps, the latency to get service is low, the power requirement is limited and the cost is low. For WiFi/DSRC, the bandwidth is typically high, for example, 27-54 Mbps, the latency to get service is typically high, for example, when there is no remote vehicle or access point within communications range, the power requirement is unlimited and the cost is nothing. The external WiFi/DSRC may be a WiFi connection provided by the vehicle to an external hot spot, such as a place of business, the owner's home, a service center, another vehicle, etc.
The vehicle may be running many different applications at a particular point in time, some of which may be unknown to the vehicle driver. Currently, each application is assigned to a particular data pipe, and that assignment cannot be changed. It may be desirable to continuously determine the data usage requirements for each application so that the connected vehicle applications can operate in the most efficient and cost effective manner. For example, if a video is being streamed to the vehicle, which requires low latency and high bandwidth, the user's personal smart phone may be the best option to satisfy those requirements, but may be very costly. Therefore, it would be desirable to select the proper data pipe for a particular application that provides the best optimization goals by reducing cost to the user without sacrificing performance.